Seems like a no-brainer to me to ease off on the royalty increase plans. The US is pouring billions into bailing out financial institutions and we'll see what happens with automotive, though I'm not a fan of bailing out poorly managed companies like GM seems to be.
But while the US has been spending like a drunken sailor, Alberta would only have to postpone revenues it hasn't even been receiving. Sounds relatively painless, and good for the economy with respect to jobs and project continuity. I sure hope the changes benefit Connacher also.
One upside I imagined due to project cancellations, was possibly faster project review through ERCB. Project restorations won't come quickly, but benefits to current operations could be immediate.
Kudos to the Alberta government for the halftime adjustments.